40+ Best Modern Courtyards

Rusticated clay bricks form the home's unbroken façade, anchoring it to the site and creating the sense of “weight and permanence” the owners desired. The small building blocks added charm and texture, while allowing for a constantly shifting interpretation of scale throughout the project.

With its expansive, geometric design and wide concrete-slab walkways, the enclosed central courtyard around which the house is organized creates outdoor space protected from the sometimes-inhospitable wind out of the northeast.

A single crepe myrtle, which sports red blossoms in summer, defines the courtyard.

The Heids incorporated mostly native plants into the courtyard, which Andrew designed as an ovoid decagon. The George Nelson Platform bench is from Design Within Reach. Solarban low-e glass improves insulation. The layout, says Andrew, is meant to “bring people together.”

In the gravel-lined entry court shaded by a Japanese maple tree, furniture from Beall and Bell—an antique shop in Greenport, New York—mixes with Pendant Globes by Primelite Manufacturing. Bobo pillows by Adler outfit the banquette, and cedar clads the interior of the seating area.

“When you enter the courtyard, you realize that you have left the forest and entered the house,” Hutchison says. “We spoke often with [the clients] about the quality of this courtyard. [The client] likes to call it his own Zen garden, although I think that he also likes that the courtyard facade serves to keep the numerous elk in the area at bay.” Concrete pavers, gravel, and ipe decking cover the ground.

Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.

The open and airy courtyard and dining area encourages outdoor living. A custom table made from Andiroba wood and Magis White Air armchairs complete the space.

“The new living area is now nestled between the rear garden and the new courtyard,” Ong says. “We felt this approach not only respected [the clients’] interests and lifestyle, but we hope it will enhance it.” Aluminum-framed windows and doors by Capral allow the owners to bring the outside in.

The courtyard with its fire pit and infinity pond—extends the living area outdoors. The family has hosted events, weddings, and even a funeral here, and annual solstice parties are always a big hit with the neighbors.

“There was the challenge of how to build appropriately on such a sublime and pristine site,” explains Pejic. “It is akin to building a house in a natural cathedral.”

In their concrete-walled courtyard, Yuka and Aaron watch as twins Emerson and Jasper, daughters Maude and Mirene, and Alfie the dog play. The house is painted in Black Bean Soup by Benjamin Moore, a color in keeping with the period of the original architecture. The garden was designed by Lauren Hall-Behrens of Lilyvilla Gardens.

An outdoor shower in the lower courtyard includes most of the materials that define the project, including Cor-Ten steel posts, horizontal ipe slats and decking, a custom seat and towel shelf set into a natural boulder, and concrete pavers. The yard includes many elements built for play, like a water feature embedded in a concrete wall that is fed by runoff rainwater collected from the breezeway roof.

In the courtyard, the fence line climbs upward, drawing the eyes to the clouds.

The Zen-inspired retreat is divided into two volumes, a private and communal wing. A Terracotta Army sculpture keeps watch in the courtyard.

Overnight, the project turned from a renovation into a full bore demolition. In its wake, a FEMA-compliant 5-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom house rose on the site.

In this family-friendly household, even the dogs have been given a space of their own. Enclosed courtyards offer the family and their two dogs outdoor living areas that feel like extensions of the interior spaces.

The courtyard is sunken because of the existing grade. The Albezia shade tree was planted when the outdoor area was still scrap yard, an “act of hope and faith in the future,” says Wittman.